A Twist of Fate
by iwomans-sister
Summary: Jarod gets captured by the Centre, but there is a problem with his health. He is slowly dying and only one person knows the cure to what he has. Will the Centre be able to save their precious prodigy before it is too late?
1. On the Run

Authors: SweetPea and iwomans_sister

Disclaimer: We do not own The Pretender', but if we did Jarod would be with his family and the series would have never ended.

Spoilers: How would we know? We just started typing it. But I'm sure there will be some in here from IOTH'.

Title: A Twist of Fate

Genre: Drama/Angst

Rating: PG-13, for violence.

E-mail: SweetPea at sweetpea683@yahoo.com and

iwomans_sister at Naomi@secret-agent.com

Authors Note: This is the first time the two of us

have written something together, we hope it works out! *A special thank you to our friend and Beta Reader, Liz*

~*~

Jarod ran through the woods as fast as his feet would carry him, branches hitting him as he went. He wouldn't allow himself to stop running, even if death were staring him in the face. He was careful to keep his footing. There couldn't possibly be anything worse than what was behind him. 

Something hit him in the face. He kept running, nothing could make him stop! He couldn't stop! He ran through a patch of bushes, pain shooting up his legs. He blocked his mind from processing the burning sensation and searched ahead as he ran for his life. Not realizing what was happening, his body crashed to the ground and he lost consciousness.

~*~

March 7th 2002: Two Days Before...

Lyle stepped into his office. Seeing a small manila folder on his desk, he walked over to it. He picked it up and noticed the bold face handwriting which belonged to Jarod. "And what are you up to?" Lyle said to himself. He opened the folder and a picture of an Asian woman fell out. He wasn't sure whether to smile or be afraid. Jarod knew his little secret, he'd have to take care of that.

"Willie!" Lyle said, calling his sweeper into his office. Since the whole facade with Raines and Mr. Parker, Lyle had been trying to prove that he was loyal to Raines. That including giving him back his thumb. Mr. Raines knew about his little obsession, but he choose to leave it alone. For that, Lyle was grateful. But Jarod sticking his nose where it didn't belong had to be dealt with.

Willie stepped into Mr. Lyle's office, "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes," Lyle handed the sweeper a list, "I need you to take care of these things, and get the jet ready. There's something I need to take care of... Someone."

Willie nodded his head as he read over the list. "Yes, sir." That said, he walked back out of his boss's office.

~*~

Present Time:

Miss Parker, gun in hand, ran alongside Broots. Her eyes were ablaze like fire. She felt this was it, Jarod would finally be caught. She could tell he was slowing down, her own fatigue reminding her he wasn't the only one getting tired. She wanted to stop running, to gather her thoughts and put them back in order, but stopping now would only ensure Jarod's escape. She wasn't about to help him escape from their grasp this time. 

She glanced at Broots and saw that he was just as tired as she, if not more so. She looked back towards their path in time to see a patch of bushes just ahead and something else just beyond. She could make out the figure of the hunted and slowed her step. Broots crashed into her from behind, knocking her off balance. Miss Parker cursed under her breath and got back up; expecting Jarod to be gone. However, he was still there, not moving. 

At first worry filled her, but she shrugged off that emotion. She didn't have time to care, look where it

had gotten her mother. Miss Parker took a step closer to her prey. If it wasn't for the rise and fall of his chest she could have sworn he was dead. She checked for his pulse, it was strong. What happened to him?' She wondered, knowing she nor anyone else for the time being had an answer.

"Miss Parker?" She heard Broots say.

She turned her head to face him, her gun aimed at Jarod. "What?"

Broots nervously put his hands in his pockets and answered Miss Parker, "This all seems so weird, do you think Jarod wanted to be caught?"

Miss Parker looked back down at Jarod's motionless body. Secretly, she wondered the same thing. Nothinglike this had ever happened in the middle of pursuing Jarod. Why now? Why after all this time would it be so easy to catch him? And what was wrong with him in the first place? Miss Parker bent down and looked at Jarod again, he looked horrible!

But then she noticed something she hadn't seen before, there was a gash on his face. She wondered how long he had had it? Miss Parker touched the wound, noting that the blood was still fresh. Maybe he had gotten it in the chase, yet something was definitely wrong. He looked thinner then the last time she had seen him, paler too. He looked sick. "Jarod?" she asked quietly. There was no response.

~*~

March 7th 2002: Two Days Before...

Lyle slowly exited his personal jet. He reached for his cell phone and dialed a number. As it was ringing he started to walk down the steps. He stopped for a second and turned around. Something was wrong, it didn't feel right. With a snap of the wrist he turned off his cell phone, cutting off the person on the other line. Once again he started to walk down the steps.

He reached the bottom and realized that his limo had not arrived yet. From a building in the distance he could hear voices bickering back and forth. Lyle slowly made his way in their direction, attempting not to be heard or seen by the unknown voices.

~*~

March 6th 2002: Three Days Before...

"Broots!" Miss Parker yelled from within her office. She had had a hard day and it was starting to take its toll.

"Y-yes, Miss Parker?" Broots stuttered nervously.

"Where is Sydney?" She asked, tapping her fingernails against her oak desktop. Broots looked around the room without saying a word. Miss Parker looked up after not hearing him speak. "Well?" 

"Umm, well, I'm not really sure." 

"You're not really sure? It's a yes or a no, Broots!" She said, exasperated. Looking into his eyes she waited for an answer. 

Broots finally met her gaze. "He said something about

going to see Michelle and Nicholas."

"Do you know when he will be back?" 

"In four days." He said, wincing.

~*~

Sydney walked up the path to his ex-wife's house. He looked up to see Michelle leaning against the doorframe waiting for his arrival. Michelle looked into his eyes and smiled. "Sydney." She said, as she embraced him in a hug. 

"Michelle, thank you for letting me come on such short

notice." 

"What's the matter, Sydney?" She asked, ending the embrace.

"It's Jarod." Sydney said, with a worried expression. 

~*~

Present Time:

Jarod could hear voices. He recognized them as Miss Parker and Broots'. Something wasn't right. He tried to open his eyes, but failed.

"Jarod?" He heard Miss Parker ask.

He couldn't answer, even if he wanted too. Something was wrong, and he knew it. He had known for a few days, but couldn't do anything about it.

"Broots, get me some water or something!" He heard Miss Parker demand.

"Do you really think that that is a..." She cut him off.

"Just do it!" Jarod heard Broots walk away and heard leaves crunching under his feet. This was not the way he had thought he'd be caught. Five years, five long years of You run and I chase' all to come down to being caught because he was too weak to run anymore. No, something was definitely wrong.

He heard Broots come back, "I have a canteen of water."

"Where'd you... Never mind, I'm sure I don't want to know."

Jarod fought to open his eyes. The cool water splashed on his face. Slowly, they opened, but everything was a blur. After a few seconds his eyes began to focus and he could see Miss Parker kneeling beside him. She looked concerned. He blinked twice to make sure this wasn't a dream. Sure enough, she was there, and so was her concerned expression. 

"Miss Parker?" Jarod asked.

"Yes, Jarod?" She felt unsure what to say, what to do. This could still be just another one of those games Jarod liked to play, but deep down she knew Jarod would never give himself up to the Centre willingly. 

"Miss Parker, I..." Jarod fought for the right words, but his every breath was a strain. He wanted to sleep. Yes, his body was telling him to sleep. Just close your eyes and you'll feel much better.' A voice inside of his head seemed to say. Surrendering to the demands of his body, he drifted into a troubled sleep. 

~*~

TBC


	2. Chasing Shadows

Authors Note: Sorry about all the confusion in the last chapter. We hope that the way we have changed it will make it better. Thanks for all the great reviews!

Chapter Two: Chasing Shadows

March 7th 2002: Two Days Before...

Lyle stepped around a pile of luggage, which he thought was odd. Luggage out here in the middle of nowhere? This was supposed to be an abandoned airstrip. He stopped suddenly when he heard the voices cease, wondering if they had heard him coming. The two people started to raise their voices again and Lyle continued walking.

He stepped into the plane hanger to find Sam and Broots arguing. "What's going on here?"

They looked at him and stopped fighting. "H-hello, Mr. Lyle. Miss Parker told us to wait here for you." Broots said, with his all too familiar stutter.

"How did you..." Lyle didn't finish his question. He was beyond wondering how his twin sister knew the things she did. But her being here was a big problem. Lyle couldn't help but wonder what the two people in front of him were previously fighting about. "Where is my limo?"

Lyle watched Broots squirm under his gaze. He had had enough of these games. "Where is my limo?" He asked again, but this time a little more demanding.

"Miss Parker was in a hurry." Broots finally answered. 

"A hurry!" Lyle looked at Sam. "Where did she go?"

"Mr. Lyle, all we know is that her phone rang, she answered, then went rushing into the limo and took off." Lyle could swear he saw Sam turn towards Broots and give him a glare, but he decided not to pursue it any further.

Lyle sighed, knowing full well that he was stuck here with these two dimwits until Parker returned. Just then, he saw a baggage car and slowly, yet purposefully, started walking towards it. He climbed into the seat and was somewhat relieved to find the keys resting in the ignition. Parker could be hours from returning and he didn't have that long to wait. 

Lyle turned to see what Sam and Broots were doing and wasn't surprised to see them still standing where he had left them. "I'll see you around!" He yelled, laughing. He started the car and took off, hoping there was a town nearby. 

~*~

Miss Parker wasn't too happy that she was given a false lead on Jarod. She had been sure she had been led to the right place. Something was amiss. Instantly she thought how silly that was. Of course something was wrong, Jarod wasn't there! "I can't believe he got away from me again!" She said, angrily. 

The limo turned toward the airstrip and Miss Parker was stunned when she thought she saw Lyle driving by in a baggage car. She rolled down her window and stuck her head out to get a preferential look and sure enough, Lyle was driving in the opposite direction then where she was heading. She watched him turn the car around and couldn't help but laugh at his foolishness. "What a pampered weasel!"

~*~

Broots paced back and forth; he couldn't stand being stuck here with Sam much longer. He wasn't surprised that Miss Parker would leave him behind. She was famous for her grand exits. And this had to of been one of her best so far. Broots stopped pacing for a second when he thought he heard something, he saw Sam playing around with the luggage. "Where is she!?!" He both stated and asked at the same time. 

"Don't worry, Miss Parker will be back soon and we'll be on our way to the next goose chase." Sam said, without a care in the world.

"How can you be so calm?"

"Easy, try doing my job for as long as I've done it."

"Look," Broots pointed his finger at Sam and took a step closer. "I would like to..." Suddenly Broots backed off and became shy. "The heat must be getting to me." Sam laughed and returned to what he was doing. Just then, they both turned to see the limo drive up.

~*~

The limo pulled up to the hanger and a door opened. Broots peaked his head inside to see Miss Parker sitting there, "Are you going to get in?"

"Without Mr. Lyle?"

"He's a big boy, let him take care of himself." Miss Parker opened her door and stepped out, "Sam!"

"Yes, Miss Parker?"

"Helps Broots get the luggage, lets get out of here before Lyle comes back."

~*~

Lyle sped for the airstrip, he wasn't going to let Parker get the best of him. Not this time. Suddenly, a realization hit him. How was he going to ditch Parker and her monkeys after he got his limo back? He didn't have to wait for an answer, seconds later his limo drove by, the window rolled down and he heard Parker's voice.

"Have fun getting to a town!"

He quickly turned his baggage car around and headed for where he thought the nearest town might be. He would have to deal with Parker later. Lyle examined his surroundings. This could be a nice spot for a relaxing vacation. Especially for the kind of vacations he liked to take.

It looked deserted and he knew he could get away with almost anything. He realized he was smiling and almost instantly started to frown. If anyone was going to the best of him, it wasn't going to be Jarod. 

He didn't come out here to plan a vacation. He came out here to dispose of a problem. A problem that seemed to always lurk in the shadows. He would be glad when the hunt for Jarod finally ceased. Then he would at last be able to start a new life for himself in the Centre. What he wanted most was control of everything. 

Lyle looked ahead to see a small town looming in the distance. Soon Jarod would have to face his defeat. "This is definitely a twist of fate, and this time you are not getting away, alive."

~*~

Lyle pulled into a gas station, he wasn't going to travel the whole way on this dinky little luggage car. But at the moment it looked like he really didn't have a choice. He finished paying for his gas and was about to take off when he saw a limo that looked much like the one he had rented for himself. He saw the license plate and knew or sure.

For a second he thought about following Parker, to find out where she was going and why she had come. But that thought left as quickly as it had come to mind. She was probably just on another worthless chase, and he had a pretty good idea where Jarod was. In fact, that was the reason he had come here in the first place.

Getting back into his luggage car he started it up and took off again. He pulled his cell phone out of his suit pocket and hit radial to the last number he had called. "Yeah, this is Lyle. I need that information we had arranged for... Yes, I have the money... Okay, I will meet you there, although I think I will be running a little behind schedule." Lyle snapped the cell phone shut and continued on his way.

~*~

"Miss Parker, I think we just passed Mr. Lyle." Sam said, from the passenger seat.

She turned to look but couldn't see anything. "Sam, are you sure?" 

"Right there," Broots pointed out, "at the gas station."

"All right, we'll follow him." Parker stated.

"Don't you think that would be a little too obvious, Miss Parker? Besides, he might have seen us." 

"Thank you, Sherlock." She said sarcastically. "But I've already thought of that. We're going to drop you off around the next corner and you are going to follow him."

"On foot?" Broots asked. Miss Parker only smiled.

TBC

~*~


	3. Sudden Changes

Chapter Three: Sudden Changes

Present Time: March 9th 2002...

Miss Parker looked around for Broots; she then remembered that she had sent him off to find a good landing spot for the jet. Jarod was starting to come around again. She had no idea what was wrong with him, and that was what worried her the most. "Jarod, I need you to wake up now." Ever so slowly he opened his eyes.

"Where am I?"

"You don't know?"

"I can't... remember." He replied. To Jarod it seemed the world was spinning. He remembered... seeing Sydney. Yes, he was sure of that. He remembered something else. Someone else. Someone had been with him. "Parker?"

"What is it Jarod?"

"I was with someone, I remember that. Where is she?"

Miss Parker got even more worried then before. Had they missed someone? Or had Jarod imagined it? "No one was with you, Jarod."

"Someone was, I remember her." Jarod tried to lift his head, but failed. 

"Don't try to move, you might hurt yourself even more." Miss Parker said. She looked around and the only thing she saw were leaves and scattered branches. She pulled off her jacket and used it as a pillow for Jarod's head. "Better?"

"Miss Parker, why are..." Jarod didn't get to finish his question.

Broots came running down the path. "Miss Parker! The jet has arrived and Mr. Lyle was on it!" Broots looked at Jarod and saw that he was awake and starting to appear alert. 

"Lyle?" Jarod asked.

"Yeah, you know, the guy without a thumb." Broots said, looking at Jarod with astonishment. Then he looked at Miss Parker, "Is he okay?"

"I'm not sure, I think he is delusional. He keeps referring to some woman, saying she was here."

"What woman?" Broots asked, "He was the only one we found."

"I know, that's what I've been trying to tell him."

"Miss Parker, there's something else, do you know where we are?" Broots whispered so Jarod wouldn't hear him.

"Yeah, about 30 miles in the middle of nowhere." She

answered sarcastically.

"Michelle lives a few miles away from here. We're right next to where Sydney is supposed to be."

"Do you think that..." Miss Parker changed her mind and decided maybe it would be better if she whispered too. "Do you think that the reason Sydney left was to meet Jarod here?"

"It's possible. In fact, that would be my guess."

"Jarod?"

"I'm still here." He said. He was trying to sit up but he was still too weak.

"What were you doing here?" Asked Miss Parker.

"That's what I want to know." Lyle said, coming from the direction Broots had just came from. He walked over to Jarod and knelt down beside him. "It hurts doesn't it? You feel like every bone in your body is on fire. You are light headed, disoriented, maybe even delusional. That was the plan. But worst of all, you can slowly feel yourself slipping away." Lyle whispered to Jarod.

Miss Parker couldn't hear what Lyle was saying, but by the look on Jarod's face he was genuinely scared.

"I can make it go away, Jarod. You help me and I'll help you. Where is she?"

Jarod was starting to come around, and beginning to remember everything. There was a woman, an Asian woman, and she meant something to Lyle. Sydney. Jarod had left her with Sydney. "Safe, now that she is away from you."

"Hmm, too bad for you. It is only going to get worse, Jarod. But I'm a patient man, I can wait. Either it will kill you, or you will answer me to save your own life." Lyle was about to stand up, but changed his mind. "Is it worth it? Is she worth your life?" That said, he looked at Parker and Broots. "Lets get the Centre's precious prodigy home, where he belongs."

~*~

"Where are we going?" Lilly Wu asked Sydney. They had been driving for over an hour now and she hated being trapped in small spaces. At least it wasn't like the room at the Centre that they had locked her in. There were no windows in that dark dungeon, no light, just darkness and the sound of her own breathing. When Jarod had dropped through the air ventilation system, at first she had thought it was Angelo.

She was shocked to find Jarod there. She had seen him before, in pictures. She knew that the people at the Centre wanted him back. Some even asked for her help, but there was no way she would help them drag Jarod back to the hell she knew as the Centre. Angelo had been her only friend in the Centre. He trusted her and answered most of the questions she asked about Jarod.

"Lilly, are you all right?" Sydney asked, interrupting her thoughts. 

"Oh. Yes, I'm fine." She felt Sydney watching her. 

"Honestly, I'm fine." she said with a fake smile. 

"To answer your question, we are going somewhere safe. He wouldn't think of looking for you there."

"Who?" She asked, playing dumb. She knew who. Lyle. No, he couldn't find her wherever she was going. She knew that, Jarod had reassured her. There was something so cold, so evil about Lyle. Something that scared her and chilled her bones. She never wanted him to find her. 

~*~

Jarod felt too weak to move and knew he couldn't stop them from taking him. He watched as Lyle gave orders to his sweepers and couldn't help but wish that he could teach Lyle a lesson he would never forget. As if Lyle had heard his thoughts, he turned towards Jarod and gave him a smile that made Jarod sick to his stomach. 

Jarod looked away and saw that Miss Parker was on her cell phone talking intently with someone on the other end. He watched her facial expressions and wondered what it was she was discussing, but she spoke quietly and would glance towards Lyle every couple of minutes.

"Jarod, it seems you have been a very busy person lately." Lyle said, looking down at him. "Makes me wonder what you've been up to." He acted casual, as if there wasn't a care in the world. "So what have you been up to?"

"Wouldn't you like to know." Jarod said, looking a little intimidating. 

"Whoa! There's no reason to be unfriendly, Jarod. We can work together or against each other. Which will it be?"

"You know I would rather die then work with you."

"That can be arranged... Opps!" Lyle put his hand over his mouth and looked slightly terrified. "I forgot that has already been taken care of!" He laughed at Jarod's reaction and walked away saying, "Think about it, Jarod. Living at the Centre can't possibly be worse then death."

"Easy for you to say. You're free." Jarod said to himself. 

~*~

Miss Parker watched as Jarod was placed on a gurney and carried to the jet. She had to find out what Lyle was up to. She called Sam over to her side and leaned closer to him so no one would hear their conversation.

"What could you find out, Sam?"

Sam glanced toward the jet while answering her. "I heard two of Lyle's sweepers talking, but I couldn't hear everything they said. What I did hear was something about a project Lyle has been working on. They mentioned a woman..." 

"Did they say her name?" Miss Parker asked, cutting Sam off.

"They only referred to her as Black Widow. They also talked a little about how she's connected with Lyle's project. And that Jarod is involved somehow. That was all I was able to overhear."

"Good work, Sam! If only we knew her name." Miss Parker snapped her fingers. "Jarod. He knows her name and probably much more. He'll have to tell me, otherwise I won't be able to help her." Sam looked questioningly at Miss Parker and she knew what he was thinking. "Do you think I'm going to let Lyle get away with whatever he's planning? I'm willing to go as far as helping this woman, but Jarod will have to defend his own case." 

~*~ 

Lilly stared out the window of the cabin Sydney had stuck her in. He had asked her to stay right where she was until someone, most likely Jarod, came to get her. She hated the Centre and all it stood for, and then at the same time she felt sorry for them. They didn't understand the value of a person's life, unless it was Jarod's life. 

Lilly believed they would even have him killed when they were done using his abilities to further their goal. She stood still for a moment in deep thought, but was startled out of her reverie by the sound of something dropping on the porch outside. She quickly huddled in the corner and began to pray harder then she had ever thought possible.

~*~

TBC


	4. Under Suspicion

Chapter Four: Under Suspicion

Lilly looked around the room in hopes of finding something that would be compatible as a weapon of defense. She spied a poker resting against the wall and quietly made her way toward it. Retrieving the object, she slowly walked to the door and cautiously jerked it open. 

A look of relief crossed her face and she knelt to pick up the cat standing by the door. "Hey there little guy." She said with a soothing voice. Just as she turned to walk back into the cabin, something struck her on the back of the head. She crumpled to the floor.

~*~

March 7th 2002: Two Days Before...

Broots hid in the bushes waiting for Lyle to pass by on the baggage cart. He wasn't too happy that Miss Parker had left him there to follow Lyle. He knew that if Lyle found him he'd be done for. But he'd like to keep his neck, if Miss Parker didn't mind. 

Broots was getting tired of waiting and was about to walk out from the bushes to take a look when he saw a flower blooming along the edge of the forest. He couldn't help but feel drawn to it. He stepped out of the bushes to get a closer look, but was alarmed by an approaching sound. He ducked behind the bushes again, brushing a few of the branches out of his face. 

Broots watched Lyle drive by and was about to follow when the flower caught his attention again. He took a step closer to it, studying it, not realizing he was letting Lyle get away.

After a few seconds Broots finally came to and with one last glance at the flower he took off after Lyle. Ten minutes into the pursuit, Broots was relieved to see that Lyle had stopped. He scanned the area and saw a small log cabin. Broots watched as Lyle got out of the baggage car and went into the cabin. Broots slowly made his way to the nearest window.

He peeked in and was shocked to see Mr. White. Broots could see that they were talking but couldn't hear the words that were being said. He gently pushed upwards on the window, hoping it would be unlocked. He was in luck; the window slid open.

"Here's what you asked for." Broots heard Mr. White say. "And here is the information you needed about your precious prodigy. The last time I saw him he was standing in this very spot."

Broots peeked his head up to see what was going on, but he didn't like what he saw next. Mr. White handed Lyle a briefcase full of syringes. "Four of these shots should be enough to kill him, that's why I'd suggest using three."

"There are only three doses here." Lyle stated.

"I already injected the first one."

"How did you manage that?"

"Ah, inquiring minds want to know." Mr. White gave an evil smile that chilled Broots to the bone. "I slipped it into his drink. For a genius, you'd think he would be smarter."

Lyle smiled, "And it will work just as we arranged?"

"Everything is being done according to how we originally arranged the plans." 

~*~

Present Time: March 9th 2002... 

"I don't understand. Why won't you let me see Jarod?!?" Sydney yelled.

"I have my reasons, none of which concern you." Mr. Raines replied, in a calm, wheezy voice.

"I worked with Jarod for over twenty years, I think I have earned the right to an explanation!" Sydney said, pounding his fists against Raines' desk.

"Fine, you want an explanation. You're too old, and you've lost your touch. Jarod looks up to you. I doubt you could be of any use. So do yourself a favor and get back to your research on those little freaks of yours and keep your nose out of my business."

Sydney gave Raines a look that said he wasn't through with him yet and then walked out the door. 

~*~

"Where is she?" Lyle asked, whispering in Jarod's ear.

"I'm not going to tell you." Jarod replied.

Lyle pulled out a set of electric shock cables. He placed them on the corners of the metal table that Jarod was strapped to. "You can still avoid this, Jarod. Where. Is. She?" Jarod gave no answer. Lyle flipped the switch to quarter power.

Jarod gripped the table as pain shot through his body. He let out a cry of pain and Lyle increased the power on the machine. After a few more seconds he shut it off. "I don't think that you understand, Jarod. Black Widow is important to the Centre. More important then you are. I have no qualms about killing you to get the information that I want."

Jarod gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. "You'll have to kill me then, because I won't be a part of your crusade." 

"As you wish." Lyle turned the machine on to the lowest dial and walked out of the room, leaving Jarod alone to feel what it would be like if he didn't cooperate. 

~*~

"Sam!" Miss Parker yelled in frustration, anger flashing through her eyes. "You didn't have to knock her out!"

Sam shrugged his shoulders. "I wasn't trying to." He picked up the girl's body and carried her to the cabin. "Where should I put her?"

Miss Parker glared at him. "On the couch, of course!" Exasperation flooded every inch of her body. She watched him lower the woman's unconscious form on the couch and then move to get a glass of water. When he brought it to her she smiled, letting herself relax just a little. "Finally you're doing something right."

Sam looked hurt for a second and she regretted responding so quickly. "I'll be by the door if you need anything." With that, he turned to shut the door and stand watch. 

Miss Parker splashed water on the girl's face. Her eyes fluttered open. "Who are you?" She whispered, barely taking a breath before the words came pouring out. 

"It doesn't matter who we are." Miss Parker said, pointing to Sam and then to herself. "But what does matter is that we're here to help you." The girl sat up, wincing with pain. "My friend over here didn't mean to be so rough." She smiled at Sam. 

"No, I didn't. I'm sorry." Sam said from the doorway. 

"It's all right. This sort of thing happens all the time." The girl said, extending a smile in his direction. Turning to Miss Parker, she asked. "Why do you want to help me?" 

"We both know a man whose name happens to be Bobby Lyle." 

Miss Parker said, as if that should explain everything, and it did. "We can protect you from him. Give you some place safe to stay."

"I am safe right here."

"If you were, then how did we find you?" Miss Parker asked. After the woman didn't say anything Parker continued. "What is your name?"

"What is yours?"

"Fair enough, people call me Miss Parker. And he," She said, pointing to the door. "Is Sam."

"You're with the Centre." She stated.

"Yes, we are." Parker replied.

"Then tell me, why I should trust you?"

"Because, if we wanted to take you back we would have by now. Heaven knows we've had the opportunity."

"Lilly Wu." She said, sticking out her hand.

Miss Parker smiled, "Now we're getting somewhere."

~*~

Jarod watched as Lyle came back into the room, syringe in hand. Jarod didn't know what it was, but he was sure that it was most likely worse then the electric shock. 

"Four injections of this is enough to kill a man." Lyle took the cap off of the syringe and flicked it to get out all of the air bubbles. "Good thing I have just the right amount." Walking over to Jarod he turned off the machine and injected him with the orange liquid. "Willie!" He called. The sweeper walked in the room and nodded to Lyle. He unstrapped Jarod from the table and began to drag him toward his room.

TBC


End file.
